Brothers Tom (on left) and Sam Curran[/caption]
A lower-back injury has ruled Sam Curran out of the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 as well as the forthcoming T20 World Cup, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had confirmed yesterday (5). His brother Tom Curran has now been drafted into England’s squad. And, left-arm seamer Reece Topley has been added as a travelling reserve.
Curran, 23, complained of pain in his back after the IPL fixture against Rajasthan Royals at Abu Dhabi last Saturday (2). Subsequent scans revealed the nature of his injury and ruled him out of both the IPL and the World Cup, beginning on 17 October. In nine IPL games this season, Curran took nine wickets at an economy of 9.93 and scored 56 runs from four innings.
* Cut down expenses, Raja tells PCB
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja had issued this week an indirect yet stern warning to the PCB officials who are drawing handsome salaries. Everyone will have to work to justify their positions, he had stressed.
“We have to cut the expenses of the board. Have one cup of tea instead of two, use the air conditioner less, and turn off the lights when you leave your offices,” the PCB Chairman had informed his staff.
The former opening bat was speaking to the board’s employees which included its Directors, lower management, and ground-staff members at the Imran Khan Enclosure in Gaddafi Stadium two days ago.
* BCCI to get 50-75% more for two new IPL teams - Ness Wadia
IPL franchise Punjab Kings co-owner, in a recent interview, had welcomed the addition of new teams in the IPL, saying it will add a new dimension to the league and bring wider viewership. He had also gone on to make a big claim on the financial front.
Wadia had said that the two new teams, which will be announced by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on 25 October, is likely to be sold for Indian Rs. 3,000 to 3,500 crore (SL Rs. 80 m to 93 m).
“The value of each of the new teams should be 50 to 75% more than the base price of Rs. 2,000 crore (SL Rs. 53.5 m). I think each team would go for a minimum of 3,000 to 3,500 crore,” Wadia had told the Times of India.
* Bubba Wallace becomes first black driver in 58 years to win Nascar Series race
Bubba Wallace had said that becoming the first black driver in 58 years to win a race in Nascar’s premier series had brought “a lot of emotion”. Wallace took his first Nascar Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway on Monday (4), after rain cut the race short with the 27-year-old in the lead. The last black driver to do so was Wendell Scott in 1963. “I never think about those things,” American Wallace said when asked about his achievement.